Anyone have to undergo colonoscopy plus endocosopy prior to radiation?

We were not asked to do any of that but my husband had MRI done last month of the whole abdominal area and he had Cologuard test done last year. Of all tests that you mentioned I really do not understand need for esophagus and stomach scoping 🥺, unless you have some serous gastric symptoms .

Read the comment/note section of your PSMA PET scan. Does it mention possible issues in those areas?

I have heard if you are coming up within a year or two of your five year one, if on the five year plan anyway, they like to do it to excise any pre cancerous polyps as they recommend against the routine colonoscopies for two years after to let all the radiation issues simmer down and go away so they don’t excise from healing tissues. You might consider when you would be due. Because of my risk, I am in every five years.

I have heard of a lot of people getting radiation. I’ve never heard of anybody having those tests before having radiation.

Is there something about your case that is different than the average prostate cancer patient?

Yes, for colonoscopy. Due to radiation exposure, it is not recommended to have one until 2 years after treatment. Mine was due within a year. Not required if on a 10-year scheduled and you had one in the last 6 years, etc.

@jimsal
Yes I had a colonoscopy prior to my 30 rounds of proton radiation. Reason I was schedule for a colonoscopy a year after I would complete radiation.

I had my treatments at UFHPTI and there requirement was a colonoscopy within 3 years of radiation date to start. Many others that go to UNFPTI also were required to get a colonoscopy prior to treatments if not done in last 3 years.

Now why? My R/Os said the colon comes under damage and irritation from the radiation. Thus they do not want a colonoscopy done (elective) after the radiation treatment (the time frame I don't remember) because of the sensitivity of colon, and chances or bleeding and irritation a colon already irritated by radiation.

I had mine done 2 weeks prior. Another poster on MCC also told me same requirement for him as his last colonoscopy was not with the 3 year period. So, there are a lot of us on MCC that have endoscopies and colonoscopies prior to starting radiation treatments with mine being they did not want colonoscopy done for several years (the elective type) after radiation treatments.

If I would guess and only guessing maybe your provider see you are due for a colonoscopy within the period after they do not want colonoscopies (elective) done and have had the procedure prior to stay within the time frame. For you knowledge this is common at least for those going to UFHPTI.

My radiation oncologist suggested a colonoscopy begore radiation treatmenr and mentioned that the tumor was large and could be against the colon. He wanted to be sure that it did not invade the walls of the colon before offering treatment options.
Not sure why the upper endoscopy was suggested to you.

@jimsal, it's always good to ask the question "why?" While you don't want to do tests unnecessarily, there may be very good reasons for these tests. I would ask them why each of them need to be done.

The topic never came up in preparation for my proton radiation treatments that I had during April-May 2021.

As it turned out, I did have an endoscopy and colonoscopy about 5 years earlier. Not sure if that mattered. Perhaps because I was going to use SpaceOAR it wasn’t needed.(?)

Many of us who went to UFHPTI found that UFHPTI required you to have had a have had a colonoscopy with the last 3 years.

The reason (per UFHPTI R/Os) is not looking for something. or that you are having Space/Oar but that the colon undergoes radiation damage during treatments. With that your colon is damage from radiation and the colonoscopy becomes more of a risk. I like millions of others have on going colonoscopies.

The risk during colonoscopy goes up (per my R/Os) after radiation to prostrate which has radiation damage to the margins and areas around prostate and the colon is so close to prostrate.

I was over the time limit and had a colonoscopy a month prior to radiation treatments. The request to have a colonoscopy is not looking for something. I know a fellow poster who had proton radiation like I did had the same requirement. He did need to have a colonoscopy done after treatments due to bleeding and had no problem but surgeon was told about the radiation treatments.

I have to have a colonoscopy every 5 years because of of polyps.